With each 90 MPH fastball thrown by Tim Lincecum, I started to panic a little more on the inside. He was still getting the strikeouts, I was telling myself. His velocity is down for the year, but the results haven't really changed -- he's still a great pitcher. Right?
Then he'd throw 88 mph in the dirt, and my interior monologue would get going again. After a painful, laborious sixth inning, the pitcher's spot came up with two outs and a runner in scoring position. So Bochy obviously thought it was a good time to leave Lincecum in.
What would be worse: that Bochy doesn't know that Lincecum's velocity is down, or that he doesn't care? I go back and forth. But only one person watching tonight's game thought Lincecum had some more gas left in the tank, and that person happened to manage the Giants.
Oh, and the Giants' closer can't pitch in tie games.
Oh, and the 5 year/$60M center fielder has been one of the worst hitters in the game for about a year now. It's coming up on Aaron Rowand's End of Usefulness Anniversary. I have no idea what to get my wife.
Should I feel bad writing this when the Giants have two outs left? Ha. Eugenio Velez is hitting against Francisco Rodriguez, and Emmanuel Burriss is on deck. That's how you know a game is over. Hell, that's when you know that you were a fool to ever think this team was even on the fringes of contention. Oh, they're still above .500, but this is a bad team.
Maybe that's harsh, and maybe I'll lighten up tomorrow. But for the love of all that is holy, the Giants lost a Tim Lincecum/Livan Hernandez match-up.
Dammit.